NEWS
81 new covid19 cases, active cases now 1, 023
There are 81 new covid19 cases, according to the Health Ministry's Wednesday update. This takes the total since March 2020 to 9,216 cases. The results come from samples taken between April 18 and 20. Active cases also increased to 1,023. The death toll remains at 157. To date 21,231 people, or 1.57 per cent of the population, have been vaccinated with the AstraZeneca vaccine. Read more here
More restrictions kick in today amid COVID spike
The Government has added further health restrictions for a limited period as COVID-19 cases continue to climb. Beginning today are the prohibition of public gatherings for concerts or entertainment, the reinstatement of a rotational shift system for the Public Service, which must now work at 50 per cent capacity, the reduction of congregation sizes at places of worship from 50 per cent to 25 per cent capacity and the limiting of weddings and funerals to 10 people. The measures came shortly after the Prime Minister convened a meeting yesterday morning with Ministry of Health and Ministry of National Security officials following a recent spike in cases. Read more here
POLITICS
PM: Don't blame Tobago for covid19 increase
The Prime Minister said on Wednesday that reduced compliance with covid19 regulations all over Trinidad and Tobago is behind the recent increase in covid 19, cases, not people going to spend Easter in Tobago. Dr Rowley, who tested covid19-positive on April 6 while in Tobago, and is still in quarantine there, made this declaration after the Health Ministry announced new public health measures to curb the rising number of covid19 cases. Read more here
Hinds seeks divisional police units to enforce COVID regulations
Newly-appointed Minister of National Security, Fitzgerald Hinds, has said that citizens who do not abide by the newly-announced COVID-19 regulations will be made to “feel it in their pockets”. He held a meeting with Police Commissioner Gary Griffith to ensure special teams of police officers are formed to ensure COVID-19 regulations are enforced. Speaking at the Ministry of Health press conference yesterday morning, Minister Hinds said, “I give you the assurance that in meeting with the Commissioner and the Police divisional leaders in a very short while, I will be sharing with them the requests of the team to ensure that action is taken over the next three weeks—the life of these new regulations—to ensure that the laws of Trinidad and Tobago in this regard are properly followed and enforced.” Read more here
BUSINESS
Nutmeg, spice of life in Matelot
When you think of nutmeg production in the Caribbean, it isn’t uncommon that the first place you think about is Grenada. But did you know that the spice is also grown in a village along Trinidad’s northeast coast? Matelot, which is French for sailor, is known for its scenic landscape and abundant fishing. However, the village also has a thriving agriculture sector with nutmeg being one of the mainstay crops. Read more here
A requiem to Franklin Khan
Whether you agreed with him, whether you thought his policies were wrong, even if you were on different sides, it was difficult to dislike Franklin (Frankie) Khan. I first met the late Frankie Khan in early 2002. He was at the time campaigning to be the Member of Parliament for the then Ortoire/Mayaro constituency. While I have not lived in Rio Claro since I passed the then Common Entrance for Queen’s Royal College, it is where my family is from, it is where I visit my mother almost every week. It is where I still call home. So Frankie was my Member of Parliament and I knew him both as a constituent and a journalist. Read more here
REGIONAL
More than 100,000 persons vaccinated
Guyana has reached a milestone in its COVID–19 vaccination efforts. This is according to Health Minister, Dr. Frank Anthony, who related that as of Tuesday, in excess of 100,000 persons all across Guyana have received the first jab of the vaccine. “We have had people coming out, our teams going into villages, so I think the health workers who have been on this vaccination campaign have done a remarkable job for us to achieve this milestone,” Dr. Anthony said during his Wednesday coronavirus update with the Department of Public Information. As Guyana continues to push for herd immunity, the country is recording approximately 6,000 vaccinations daily. To further raise this figure, Minister Anthony said that efforts are being made to cater to those who are immobile and unable to visit vaccination sites. Read more here
Woman slashed by jealous ex describes stalking hell
As Stephina Ralston returned to her home in Warsop, Trelawny, on Tuesday, she was paralysed with fear that the man who had butchered her within an inch of her life was still lurking around. Read more here
INTERNATIONAL
'Pervasive racism' left tens of thousands of Black and Asian war dead uncommemorated, UK inquiry finds
Hundreds of thousands of Black and Asian military personnel who died fighting for the British empire during World War I were not formally commemorated like their White counterparts due to decisions underpinned by the "pervasive racism of contemporary imperial attitudes," according to an investigation released Thursday. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) formally apologized on Thursday after a report it commissioned found that 116,000 -- and potentially up to 350,000 -- primarily Black, Indian or Egyptian service personnel remain "not commemorated by name or possibly not commemorated at all," a century after they died. It found among the Black and Asian personnel who were commemorated, up to 54,000 individuals were deliberately memorialized differently compared to their White colleagues via collective memorials rather than marked burials, "or by recording the names of the dead in registers rather than engraving them in stone," the report wrote. Read more here
Climate change: US surprises summit with bold emissions target
The US has pledged to cut carbon emissions by 50-52% below 2005 levels by the end of this decade. This new target, which will be unveiled at a virtual summit of 40 global leaders, essentially doubles their previous promise. The Americans hope that their ambitious new plan will encourage China, India and others to go further before the crucial COP26 meeting, in Glasgow in November. But there will be some scepticism about the ability of the US to deliver on its new target, given the divided nature of American politics. Read more here
22nd April 2021